THE RADICAL PAGAN WHEEL OF THE YEAR We begin the cycle of the year with YULE, the winter solstice. Yule is the first day of winter, the longest night & shortest day of the year. It is the date when the sun begins it's ascension, & from this time the days begin to lengthen. It is associated with birth (the Sun God, Jesus, etc.). We celebrate birth & rebirth. We may die, but we are also born again in a cycle of death & rebirth. We may be reborn into this world, or we may be born into another level. But life is not a one-shot-deal; it is a continuing process of learning & growth. We learn about birthing: the birth of babies, of the process of birthing & rebirthing ourselves as individuals, as a culture & a world. This is the Sabbat we honor babies with baby blessings, or inaugurate life passages as rebirths. In the life cycle, the time from the winter solstice to mid winter corresponds to the ages from birth to speech & is the time of infancy & of learning about survival. Individually we learn how to live in this world, especially the basic skills of eating, eliminating, & calling attention to our needs. As a community, we pay heed to helping babies survive, caring for & nurturing them. Between the ages of birth & speech, we begin to watch our children for the learning of language. This we celebrate in the rite of passage called first speech. We begin teaching & learning about communication, & fostering this skill in the child, in ourselves, & in our community. The next Sabbat is IMBOLC, mid winter. Imobolc is the middle of winter. It is associated with the birth of non-human animals & is often the coldest time of year. We celebrate innocence & playfulness. We grow & mature, but we can carry preceding levels & lessons with us all our lives. We should always remember spontaneity, play, & fun. We learn about these qualities & renew them in our lives. This is the Sabbat we honor children or renew commitments to innocence. In the life cycle, the time from mid winter to spring equinox corresponds to the ages from speech to first blood/seed (fertility) & is the time of childhood & of learning about sensuality. Individually we learn about our bodies & those of others. We begin establishing our personal physical, mental, emotional, & spiritual boundaries & limits, our likes & dislikes. As a community we renew our love of sensuality, our bodies (& its challenges & pleasures), & the beauty, integrity, & personhood of our children. Between the ages of 9 & 13, we begin to watch our children for first blood (menarche) or first seed (spermarche). This we celebrate in the rite of passage called first blood (females) or first seed (males). We begin teaching & learning about sensuality & the pleasures & challenges of our bodies & the bodies of others through touch, massage, closeness, & general health & hygiene. The next Sabbat is OSTARA, the spring equinox. Ostara is the first day of spring, when day & night are of equal length. It is associated with coming of spring & it's renewing of life, especially in crops, foliage, trees, & flowers. Spring brings warmer weather, rains, & the beginning of the more outside & outward oriented time of year. It is the Sabbat when the Oak King takes over the year from the Holly King. The sun god is a youth. Persephone ascends from the underworld & brings blossoming buds with her. We celebrate sexuality in all its manifestations. We learn about hetero, gay, lesbian, & especially safe sex for pleasure & bonding, but not for reproduction. This is the Sabbat we honor youth & sexuality. It is not a time for family but for first sexual teachings & experiences. In the life cycle, the time from spring equinox to mid spring corresponds to the ages from first blood/seed to around 18 & is the time of the teens or youth & of learning about the responsibility & pleasure of sex. Individually we learn about safe & mutually satisfying sexuality, its diverse forms & challenges & our own preferences & orientation. As a community, we celebrate sex & help others in their experiences. Between the ages of 15 & 19, we begin to watch for signs of desire & readiness for first sexual experience. This can be celebrated with a rite of passage called first rite. We reemphasize safe & pleasurable sex, pregnancy prevention, & the emotional issues that can come up. Gentleness, mutual choice & desire, & empathy are also stressed. The next Sabbat is BELTANE, which is mid spring. Beltane is associated with fertility (humans, non-humans, & Earth) In the cycle of Nature, we see abundance & growth, lushness & the renewal of life. Care giving, nurturing, & first family life are important here. We celebrate our ability to reproduce & the Earth's abundance. We learn about life's steady cycles, about family & village & tribe in all its diverse forms. This is the Sabbat we honor those who have chosen or may soon choose to parent & add their own extension to the great family. In the life cycle, the time from mid spring to the summer solstice corresponds to the ages from around 18 to around 35 & is the time of fertility & of learning about parenting. Individually we learn about extending ourselves to encompass progeny. As a community, we nurture & support parents, new parents, & potential parents. Between the ages of 18 & 35, we begin to watch for signs of parenting orientation, ability, & desire. This we celebrate in the rite of passage called parenthood. We begin teaching & learning about the pleasures & challenges of parenting, and the skills of birthing, mothering, fathering, & raising children. The next Sabbat is LITHA, the summer solstice. Litha is the height of the sun's dominance, the longest day & shortest night of the year. It is the date when the sun begins it's descent & from this time the nights begin to lengthen. We celebrate the light. The symbolism in enlightenment & illumination is honored. We learn about manifesting this light inward & out to the community, culture, & world around us. This is the Sabbat we honor family in its flourishing & prosperity, & our maturity as individuals. In the life cycle, the time from the summer solstice to mid summer corresponds to the ages from around 35 to around 50 & is the time of family, prosperity, & community, & of learning about prospering in the world. Individually we learn the culture & society we live in, & how to become materially & financially comfortable & secure. As a community, we pay heed to our efforts to secure & maintain jobs or vocation, to purchase material goods (basic or complex), to purchase land, & in general use green energy (or other medium of exchange) to the benefit of ourselves, family, religion, & community. Between the ages of 45 & 55 the community begins to watch for signs of elderhood: the ability to wisely solve conflict, answer questions, provide a steady & objective anchor for the community, to act as elder to others. The next Sabbat is LUGHNASAD, mid summer. Lughnasad is the time of the harvest, the completion of projects, the reaping of benefits & consequences. It is associated with the god Lugh, with increasing age & wisdom. We celebrate personal power & wisdom, & taking on the role of teacher. We continue our processes of personal growth but also become leaders & elders. We learn about leading, guiding, & mediating. This is the Sabbat we honor elders, acknowledging their value & granted authority in the community. In the life cycle, the time from mid summer to the autumn equinox corresponds to the ages from about 50 to about 75 & is the time of elderhood & of learning about teaching. Individually we learn how to handle community-granted authority, & how to nourish the whole community. As a community, we pay heed to supporting our elders & helping them whenever & in whatever form they need. The next Sabbat is MABON, the autumn equinox. Mabon is the first day of autumn. This is the time when the Oak King surrenders to the Holly King, & is the beginning of the darker, more inward half of the year. The sun god is old, now, but still vital. Again night & day are of equal length, a time of balance. We celebrate the coming of the dark, the cold, the calm of the season. It is the time of the high elder, the manifestation of a life's experience & knowledge. We learn about the final wisdom of old age, when death knows us & we begin to know it. This is the Sabbat we honor our oldest, most wise, most wizened. In the life cycle, the time from mid summer to the autumn equinox corresponds to the ages from about 75 to death & is the time of high elderhood & of learning about wisdom. Individually we learn how to handle the end of our lives. As a community, we pay heed to aiding our oldest & dying with diginity, comfort, & the continued honoring of the high elder. From 75 we begin acknowleging death. The final Sabbat of the year is SAMHAIN, which is mid winter. Samhain (often pronounced sow-in) is the middle of winter, a time of deep reflection & inward journeying. It's considered one of the most magical of the Sabbats. It is when the separation between this world & the otherworld is thinnest. We celebrate death as a natural & cyclical transition. We pass over into the otherworld, or the summerlands for a period of rest before moving on to our next incarnation or level of reality. Perhaps we may choose (or have chosen for us) to be a guardian spirit, or teacher, or return in physical form to Earth or elsewhere. The outcome varies from person to person. We learn about death & the spirit worlds. This is the Sabbat where we honor death as positive transition & our elders, family, ancestors, & other beloveds who have passed on. In the life cycle, Samhain is the end of one cycle. From mid autumn to winter solstice is the time of rest, rejuvenation; a time in the other worlds, & finally, the time in the dark of the womb, preparing for rebirth. It is simultaneously about death & the joy of renewal. At death, we perform the rite of passage called Last Rite, which is half opportunity for grief & half celebration of life. Continuation amond the great circle of living becomes manifest at this darkest time, leading to the triumphant arrival of Yule.